It’s December, which means it is officially time to talk about Christmas! Here in the office, we’re planning a holiday party for this Friday, so we’re all getting in the spirit. Ugly Christmas sweaters, coquito (it’s like eggnog but with coconut instead; we made it last year on Facebook Live), cranberry margaritas, and Secret Santa will all come together to fill the office with merriment. If you’re having an office party soon, too, might I suggest this delicious recipe for Gluten-Free Christmas Cupcakes in a Jar as a gift for coworkers?
These make great gifts during the holidays. They are festive, delicious, and they’re gluten, dairy, grain, and refined sugar-free! Because they are dairy-free, they do not have to be refrigerated.
Recipe notes: These use Swerve confectioners and vanilla cake mix. Swerve is a cup-for-cup sugar replacement that is non-glycemic, making it ideal for those who are cutting out or cutting back on sugar, such as those with diabetes. I suggest using gel food coloring, as it does not change the texture of the batter. If you want a more natural food coloring, there are some great brands out there that offer coloring made of plant-based ingredients, rather than artificial dyes.
Course:
Dessert
Cuisine:
American
Servings: 12 jarred cupcakes
:
- Gluten-free non-stick cooking spray
- 2
(11.4-ounce) packages
Swerve Sweets Vanilla Cake Mix - 6
large eggs - ⅔
cup
vegetable oil - ⅔
cup
water - 3
tablespoons
pure vanilla extract
, divided - Red food coloring gel
- Green food coloring gel
- 1½
cups
vegetable shortening - 4½
cups
Swerve Confectioners - 3-6
tablespoons
dairy-free milk - 12
wide-mouth pint canning jars and lids
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray 18 standard muffin cups well with cooking spray.
- Combine the cake mixes, eggs, vegetable oil, water, and 2 tablespoons vanilla in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Divide the batter into two equal portions. Add a few drops of red food coloring to one batch and a few drops of green to another. Stir well. Divide the red batter equally into 9 prepared muffin tins and the green into 9 muffin tins. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the shortening and Swerve Confectioners. Beat until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in 1 tablespoon vanilla. Add milk, one tablespoon at a time, until the frosting is smooth and spreadable.
- Cut the cupcakes in half horizontally. Layer into the canning jars, starting with half of one color cupcake, then a layer of frosting, a layer of the other color of cupcake, another layer of frosting, then another cupcake half, same color as the first layer. If there is room in your jar, you can finish with a layer of frosting. Repeat until all the cupcakes and frosting are used up.
- Screw the tops on the jars and decorate as desired.
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Disclaimer: All nutrition facts on Simply Gluten Free are meant only as a guide and may differ depending on product brands used or ingredient substitutions. Some errors may occur, so you are encouraged to confirm the recipe’s ingredient and nutrition suitability for your own diet.
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